T.E.A. 4 the Soul
T.E.A. 4 the Soul is written encouragement that will be available once a month to encourage leaders from all walks of life. T.E.A. stands for the Truth that Christ will expose to our hearts, Encouragement for those of us that can become weary with the assignments and circumstances of our lives and the Authentic discovery of who we really are in Christ, as we allow our hearts to connect with His heart.
Manifested Transformation
By: Dama A. Riles
Joseph had a difficult journey. This young man was hated for being the object of his father’s affection and for having a gift that was given to him by God. When he shared his dream with his brothers, he was not trying to show off. He was simply sharing because he may have thought that he was going to receive clarity about his dream. Have you ever been in a place like this? A place where you were not trying to brag or boast about your dream but you simply needed clarity?
So as the story goes Joseph was put out in a muddy trench by his brothers. Sometimes things/people in life that are closest to us can misunderstand our intentions and try to cause us to go under. If only Joseph’s brothers would have been more discerning as opposed to jealous, they would have known that they had the same gift as Joseph. Jealousy will blind you.
Afterward Joseph was escorted to Potiphar’s place only to find himself entangled in a mansion trap with Potiphar’s wife. Sometimes the ladder of success has weak steps that will try to cause us to fail and fall. This was clearly an attempt for Joseph to do both.
But then there are other times that God Himself will bring you into Manifested Transformation. What is Manifested Transformation? It is to make evident or certain by showing or displaying an act, process, or instance of being transformed. It is an obvious change that exists. There was an obvious change in Joseph’s life. Joseph went in as a slave but his unique ability/talent to interpret dreams brought him out as a governor. He went from rags to riches in literally one day! Joseph’s God-given ability to interpret dreams allowed him to “enlighten” Pharaoh and Joseph’s situation was “enlivened” by God. There are times in our lives that we may advise others and it looks like their situation blooms and blossoms because of our advice. And so we wonder, “Hey God what about my situation?” But when you least expect it, when you’re using your God-given gift/talent “pay back promotion” meets you at the door! Joseph did not only interpret the Pharaoh’s dream but God allowed Him to live the dream also.
So here is a word of encouragement for you, know that as an interpreter of a dream you will experience and live the dream. Now is your time, you have had loss and all types of situations but rest assured that “manifested transformation” now belongs to you. Remember that God can dream a bigger dream for you than you could ever dream for yourself! Start dreaming and know that God’s dreams for you are never ending!
Manifesto
By: Dama A. Riles
As a new year approaches we usually ask questions like; what should I expect for the New Year? What will God do in my life? What is God saying?
I want to ask you a question that may sound a bit unintelligent but I believe that it is very relevant. What do you BE? Pardon my grammar, but indulge me just a minute. We spend a lot of time looking through an invisible crystal ball, hoping to catch a glimpse of our future. What if I told you that your future is your present; your right now? What would you say? How would you react? Would you feel like you have missed out on something? Would you request a “do over” from God? You are a human BEING, which means you are in a continual state of “being!” You possess the power to declare and live out the manifestation of who you are.
So what are you waiting on? Now is the time to declare or write the “manifesto” of your life. According to Merriam Webster a manifesto is a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer. What are your intentions, motives and views for your new life? Are you ready to declare it? Are you ready to be IT?
Isaiah 42:9 says; Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” God has given us the ability to declare new things before they spring forth. This is an ability that we have to begin to employ so that we may walk out the FULLNESS of God’s manifestation for our lives.
Question? What are you waiting on to create your manifesto? Matthew 6: 10 says; “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is heaven.” It already is in heaven; don’t you think it’s time for the earth’s manifestation?
Private Party
By: Dama A. Riles
I listen to various genres of music. Yes, I am Christian but I would like to believe that I am a well-balanced Christian. India Arie is one of my favorite artists because the messages in her songs are so positive and uplifting. These messages help us to take in life and its complexities; realizing that as we experience the trial and error of “becoming” we are also learning invaluable life lessons. She sings this wonderful song that I often groove to in my car; called “Private Party”. The first part of the song begins with these lyrics:
I’m having a private party
Ain’t no body here but me, my angels, and my guitar singin’ baby look how far we’ve come here
I’m havin’ a private party
Learning how to love me
Celebrating the woman I’ve become
I recently attended a day sabbatical hosted by our Co-Leader Launcher, Jestacia Jones and it was an awesome eye-opener for me as a leader. We were on such beautiful property and the handprint of God was so evident. As I walked the vegetable garden, I saw God, as I took in the activity of nature; I experienced God, as I sat on the bench to write in my journal, I felt God. God was everywhere and what I discovered was that God was there all of the time. God was just waiting on me to slow down enough so that God could tell me some things that I couldn’t hear in the hustle and bustle of my city life. God took me away to a beautiful farm about 40 minutes from my home in Atlanta, enveloped me in the wonder of His creation and spoke directly to my heart. On my way home from the sabbatical “Private Party” was resonating in my spirit. As I look introspectively, I have to admit that if I am going to be an authentic leader, I am going to have to allow God to throw an ongoing private party in honor of all that He has created and is creating me to be. Simply put, I must be intentional about the wholeness and wellness of my mind, body and spirit. The second part of the song’s lyrics say:
All my life
I’ve been looking for
Somebody else
To make me whole
But I had to learn the hard way
True love began with me
This is not ego or vanity
I’m just celebrating me
Wow! How long it took me to get to the point where I am not trying to please anyone else. I am not ashamed to say that the “private party” that God is hosting is exclusively for me! It is true; I have spent most of my years trying to please everyone else. But one day this all changed, God spoke to me and said “Dama you value what people say about you more than you value what I say about you”. That seared my core and put me in touch with a very deep reality. So now I am made to look retrospectively toward my future as a leader. True leadership begins when you are able to employ self- leadership. The first step to employing self – leadership is hearing what God is saying to you about you. It’s not about having an ego or being vain; it is about learning to become acquainted with and to celebrate the “authentic YOU”. As leaders we must realize that we have to take time for ourselves. We need to be refreshed, revived and renewed; if we are going to speak life to others. So my question to you is; have you taken the time to pull away, not to start on a new project but to get a new perspective about what God is saying to you as leader? Or are you living, moving and breathing in a stale revelation that is just as burnt out as you are? If you are moving in a stale revelation, I urge you to take the time to pull away so that you can be all that you were created to be. Then and only then, can you authentically help others to do the same. Enjoy your party!
The Principle of the Phoenix
By: Dama A. Riles
Job 29:18 (NRSV)
Then I thought, I shall die in my nest and I shall multiply my days like the phoenix.
I haphazardly or maybe not haphazardly; ran across some information about the phoenix which I thought to be very interesting. As I continued my research, I found that the phoenix is actually a mythological bird, that at the end of its life cycle; builds itself a nest on cinnamon twigs, starts a fire and burns both itself and the nest and a new younger phoenix arises from the ashes. I began to ponder this understanding of the phoenix in light of leading and leadership and what I realized was intriguing. The “descending structure” of leading and leadership is now at the end of its lifecycle and burning itself on its nest. I forecast that now is the time for an “ascending structure” of leadership to arise from the ashes. Dee Hock, former CEO of Visa International said it best in a wonderful article, entitled The Art of Chaordic Leadership; “It is true leadership- leadership by everyone- chaordic leadership, in up, around and down that this world so badly needs, and industrial age, dominator management that it so sadly gets”. I agree. We are coming into an age when this type of leading and leadership is no longer sufficient and those up under it are seeking a more liberating leadership that ensures that self-leadership by the leader is a top priority.
Leading and leadership are taking on a new view. In the past, our contemporary view of a leader and leadership has become tangled with our ideas of heroism, which often becomes blurred because there is no marked difference between a “leader” and a “celebrity”. In what I term as the new “ascending structure” of leadership, we will come to understand that everyone is a leader and is involved in the process of leading and therefore exemplifying leadership. This is a different thought on leadership but very relevant. The phoenix principle illustrates that there is an emerging leadership culture that is yearning to be born but the “descending structure” of leading and leadership has to be willing to be burned off, in order to make room for the “ascending structure” of leading and leadership.
This Present Age: What Time Is It?
By: Dama A. Riles
The age of “if you build it they will come” has come and gone. Many leaders have built sprawling campuses and are being left to foot the bill as conventional churchgoers are running out looking for more meaningful ministry. We are living in a time where people are not looking for buildings but they are looking to be “built up” in their life’s work. So the task of the leader is to now create space and opportunity for this to happen. How does one create an opportunity when it seems that we have strayed so far away? First, we should focus on creating an ethos that is not religious but always biblical and spiritual. Second, we must understand the natural pattern or make-up of the people we serve. Lastly, we should do whatever we do according to that pattern. Not the patterns of others around us but the pattern that exists within our own communal space. The late Peter Drucker who was a leading Management Consultant offered some very wise advice, he said; “Before you start a new endeavor, predict the future and look at it one year later.” In other words, the church universal should be like the Sons of Issachar “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (I Chronicles 12:32 NKJV) They were able to discern what was going on and what their response should be to what was happening. So the question is posed; in your space right now, are you able to discern what time it is?
All I Need Is A Boost!
By: Dama A. Riles
“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been”. Henry Kissinger had the right idea when he made this statement. It’s the idea of the “booster rockets” in motion in the form of leadership. You see booster rockets provide the main thrust or “boost” in the initial phase of the rocket’s flight. After the rocket has lifted to a point in the initial phase, the booster rockets “drop off” and the main rocket continues in the thrust of the booster rockets as well as its own thrust. True leadership fuels leadership. It provides a boost! It does not constrain or muzzle it “lifts” and “drops off” allowing the emerging leader to do what they were designed to do all along, and that is to go beyond where they are. If you are a leader, how many emerging leaders are you developing? Emerging leaders are persons that have the ability, skill, and capabilities to lead, but need an opportunity or a “boost” to do so. In your leadership right now you should be fueling the emerging leaders around you to envision beyond their vision. Exactly like the astronaut that goes into outer space, the place where they were told that man would never walk, they will learn to “suit up” anyway and take the ride of their lives, way past that place called “limits”. Only to discover that all they really needed was a boost and making it that far, proves that there truly is no limit!
Free At Last?
By: Dama A. Riles
Alan Keyes a former Reagan administration diplomat, Harvard-educated constitutional scholar, and a conservative political activist once said; “Freedom is first of all a responsibility before the God from whom we come.” I concur. I believe that once you become free in God, you can be free to live out your life’s work. Jesus taught us this in John 8: 31-36. He was conversing with the Jews and His primary point was this; if one continues to live the life of a “transient” or to “act like a slave”, they will forever be bound by this stigma until they realize they are “His disciples”. Once we understand that we are “His disciples”, then and only then, will freedom belong to us. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words, a disciple is “one who follows another’s teaching” and also a “learner”. As a “learner” of Christ we follow or imitate His example of leadership in the church, marketplace and beyond. Jesus was a true example of freedom to us though He was surrounded by legalistic agitations, he never yielded. He always stayed true to His life’s work. This is why He could say with all fervency in John 8:36, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed”. Freedom is not about being able to do whatever you want, it is about being able to unapologetically be who you are. I conclude with this question. If the Son has “made” you free, why should you be bound?
Redeeming the Time!
By: Dama A. Riles
“I have learned that time is a precious commodity that only God can redeem. Never allow it to be wasted and always regard it as valuable.” These words were spoken by a very good friend of mine as we were conversing on the telephone about obvious “time wasters”, that we had allowed into our lives over the years.
As Christians, we know and understand that God measures time very differently. His time is sacred and prophetic and deals with our divine destiny. But as leaders and humans with the responsibility of stewardship, we have to measure time for what it is. Every one of us on this earth has 365 days, 24 hours, 12 months and 1 week to work on our life’s work.
In my opinion, we have two options as it relates to time; now or never. I opt for now. In a recent conversation with another friend, I was made to think about time again, as it relates to where I am in my life right now. I had to ask myself the following questions: Am I satisfied with the time that has already been used? As far as the time I have been given, have I done what I need to do? Am I wasting time with empty conversation, instant and text messages, fruitless phone calls, and a bunch of busy work that is not relevant to my life’s work? Am I allowing other people to devalue my time by using me as an unpaid consultant, to help further their cause, without an even exchange? Am I honoring God with my time? You are the only one that can answer these questions honestly.
Maybe you can identify a few “time wasters” in your life as you are reading this and you want to know how you can destroy them. Here are a few starters for destroying “time wasters”:
Honor God by committing each day to Him. Start first thing in the morning.
Fire yourself as unpaid consultant and use this time to strategize for your own life’s work.
Only speak as an unpaid consultant if you are talking to another unpaid consultant, reciprocally.
Honor God by scheduling and planning each day.
Realize that your time is valuable and can translate into money therefore it is okay to charge a fee.
Don’t spend time on things that are not applicable to your future.
Ephesians 5: 15-17 (NKJV) says; See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time , because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
To redeem the time is to capitalize on every opportunity that you have been given. It is to understand God’s will as it relates to your life’s work and to flow in that. Proper stewardship of your time, plus God’s sacred time, equals the right time. So go ahead and redeem your time!
Rain! Rain!
By: Dama A. Riles
Look around you: Winter is over; the winter rains are over, gone! Spring flowers are in blossom all over. The whole world’s a choir-and singing. Song of Songs 2:11-12 (The Message Bible)
April showers bring May flowers was a phrase that I often heard and said when I was a young child. I can remember being on the playground in April and all of a sudden, out of no where the rain would begin to fall. My teacher would tell us that the rain had to come in April, so that the pretty flowers could bloom in May. We would scurry inside with sad faces, wishing with all of hearts that the rain would go away. I remember this like it was yesterday.
And such is life. Rain comes out of no where and ruins our plans. Rain is not always torrential. Sometimes it comes in a sprinkle, slow and steady, or a few drops for a little while. During this season we are thankful for the rain because it clears the pollen, so that we can breathe better. In the spiritual world when the rain comes, its clearing away negative actions, thoughts, people and emotions and we should be thankful to God!
The rain comes…and then the flowers bloom. This is the order. If it were not for the rain, we could not see the beautiful flowers bloom. Such a simple thought but so easy for us to forget.
I don’t know how much rain you have experienced in your life last year, last month, last week, yesterday or today. But I do know that it does not come to stay. I also know that rain in your life helps to strengthen you spiritually, just as it does for natural flowers. So during this month, make a promise not to dwell on the past, but to look at the blooming flowers in your life. If you and your family are healthy…that’s a flower. If you have food and shelter…that’s a flower. If you have a balanced mind…that’s a flower. If you have breath in your body…that’s a flower!
Remember the words of my teacher, April showers bring May flowers. Until next month, stop and smell YOUR flowers! Blessings to you!
-Dama Riles